Putin Invites North Korea to Boost Ties in Special Telegram to Kim Jong-Un

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he is ready to meet with him in the near future to discuss “urgent” regional issues and bilateral ties, according to the text of the message published by the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday.

Putin’s invitation to hold talks came as part of a message to Kim Jong-un congratulating the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the 73rd anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation.

“I affirm that I am ready to meet you at an early date to discuss urgent issues of bilateral relations and important matters of the region,” Putin said in the message.

Further, the Russian president expressed that “Russia appreciates that the DPRK remembers in humble reverence the soldiers of the Red Army who fought shoulder to shoulder with the Korean patriots for freedom and independence of Korea.”

“I am convinced that we will continue to develop cooperation for mutual benefits including the realization of the tripartite project involving Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea through joint efforts,” Putin communicated.

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This comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that the upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month would be another step towards the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the end of the Korean War. The South Korean leader emphasized that the peace and prosperity of the entire region depends on the integration between the Koreas.

Establishing a joint economic community between North Korea and South Korea and introducing the possibility of unrestricted travel between countries will mark “a real liberation,” said South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“Even if a political unification might be far from here, establishing peace between the south and the north and freely visiting each other, and forming a joint economic community is a real liberation for us,” Moon Jae-in is quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

Moon mentioned that the proposed economic community would include 6 countries in northeastern Asia, including the United States. The Asian countries would be North Korea, South Korea, China, Mongolia, and Russia, according to Yonhap agency

The establishment of the community would lead to an energy, transport, and economic bloc in the region, expanding special economic zones and forming the foundation of coexistence and prosperity in northeastern Asia.

Such would mark the beginning of a “multilateral security system in northeast Asia,” the South Korean president proposed.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.